From Wellington To The World Stage
By Mike May
Did you know that current U.S. Open and PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka grew up in Wellington and got his start at the junior golf program at a local public golf course? Koepka, who also won the 2017 U.S. Open, honed his golf game on the Okeeheelee Golf Course. At Okeeheelee, Brooks, now 28, spent countless hours as a youngster hitting balls on the driving range, plus pitching, chipping and putting. Brooks’ memories of his days playing at Okeeheelee are vivid. “Growing up at Okeeheelee was a blast!” he remembered. “We would get dropped off at 7:30 every morning, and we would get picked up at dark. I learned how to play 72
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the game there, and it will always hold a special place in my heart.” He was not alone at Okeeheelee. He was joined by his younger brother, Chase, who currently plays professional golf on the European PGA Tour. Brooks’ mother, Denise, recalls her oldest son saying, at age 12, that his career goal was to play professional golf. Much of the credit for Brooks’ interest in golf must be given to his father. “Brooks hit some of my cut-down clubs from the time he was three until
I got him his first junior set of clubs at age seven to play in a tournament at Okeeheelee,” Bob Koepka recalled. “He liked golf at an early age, and from ages 7 to 12, he started showing a passion for the game, especially after I took him to the Masters at age eight.” Those who have watched Brooks grow as a golfer have fond memories of his golfing childhood. “I had the privilege and honor of coaching many fine golfers and many fine young men during my 10-plus years of coaching the golf team at Cardinal Newman High School,” recalled Greg Sherman, the future star’s high school golf coach. “I can’t really exactly say why Brooks stood out among them, but he did.”